The air solidified once more.
Sukuna's amused expression vanished instantly, replaced by a tyrannical killing intent.
"What did you say?"
His voice was terrifyingly low, like the growl of countless demons.
"You want my finger?"
"Do you want to die?"
The fingers weren't just a source of power; they were fragments of his soul. And this lowly human dared to covet his soul?!
BOOM!
A terrifying burst of Cursed Energy erupted.
Sukuna raised his hand.
This time, he truly intended to kill.
He was going to grind this arrogant profiteer into dust!
However.
The moment he moved to strike.
BZZZT—
An invisible force detonated deep within his soul.
It was irresistible.
His hand froze in mid-air, unable to swing down!
"This is... a Binding Vow?!"
Sukuna's pupils contracted.
"Ah, I forgot to remind you."
Lynn took a half-step back and spread his hands.
He wore the standard smile of a merchant who had just pulled off a successful con.
"Since you've already eaten my product and enjoyed the 'freedom' it provides,"
"The transaction is already in mandatory effect."
"This is a fundamental trade based on the principles of a 'Binding Vow'."
"If you refuse to pay, or attempt to kill the creditor to welsh on the debt, the Rules will judge you as being in breach of contract."
Lynn pointed at Sukuna's frozen hand.
"Although I can't beat you,"
"The Rules will create a backlash against this vessel."
"You wouldn't want to be forcibly sent back after only being out for a minute just because you broke a contract, would you?"
"You set me up?!"
Veins bulged on Sukuna's forehead.
The King of Curses.
Forced into a sale by a human with zero Cursed Energy using a piece of candy?!
It was an utter humiliation!
Rage.
Extreme rage.
The killing intent in Sukuna's eyes was almost tangible.
Even at the risk of being sent back, he wanted to kill this...
"Don't be so quick to get angry, Mr. Sukuna."
Just as Sukuna was on the verge of exploding.
Lynn suddenly stepped closer.
He lowered his voice.
Speaking in a tone only the two of them could hear:
"This one minute is just a small 'free sample'."
Sukuna's movements paused slightly.
"I know what you're thinking."
"You're thinking about how to completely break free from this body's restraints once you gather all twenty fingers, and how to truly resurrect, right?"
Lynn's voice was full of temptation.
Like the serpent in the Garden of Eden.
"However, Yuji Itadori is a perfect vessel, but also a perfect cage."
"Even if you gather all the fingers, it will be very difficult to break this cage from the inside."
Sukuna narrowed his eyes, staring dead at Lynn.
This guy.
He even knows that?
"But I can."
Lynn pointed to his own head.
"Since I can create a drug that gives you 'temporary control,' I can also create a drug that allows for 'complete separation'."
"As long as the price is right..."
"Even if it means extracting your soul from this body intact, or even reconstructing your original body from a thousand years ago..."
"I can do it."
This was a massive lie.
At least, the current Lynn couldn't do it at all.
But it was an irresistible "promise of the future."
For Sukuna, who craved freedom, this temptation far exceeded the value of a single finger.
It also outweighed the anger of being offended in this moment.
Sukuna fell silent. He stared at Lynn for a long time, seemingly trying to pierce through to the man's soul.
"Interesting."
After a long while, Sukuna lowered his hand.
The violent killing intent receded like the tide.
He turned to face the Special Grade curse.
SPLUTCH—
The Special Grade curse hovering in mid-air, the one that had driven Megumi Fushiguro to despair, was instantly diced into pieces.
As if cut by countless invisible blades simultaneously.
Before it could even scream, it was reduced to a mist of purple-black blood.
As the mist cleared.
A withered, ominous finger fell from the air.
Sukuna caught it with a casual swipe of his hand.
"Catch."
He tossed the finger toward Lynn like he was throwing away trash.
"You better be able to deliver on your promise."
Lynn caught the finger steadily.
The moment it touched his palm.
The system's cold notification sound rang out.
More beautiful than any music.
[Transaction Complete!]
[Item Acquired: Finger of Ryomen Sukuna.]
[System Valuation: 50,000 Points.]
[Remaining Points: 50,070 Points.]
Lynn clenched his fist, suppressing the urge to punch the air in celebration.
He won the gamble.
This was the only rule of survival for a powerless transmigrator like him.
Exploit information asymmetry. Exploit human weakness.
Sell something worth a dollar for ten thousand.
"Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Sukuna."
Lynn bowed elegantly.
Even though his legs were still jelly.
"I look forward to our next... big deal."
Sukuna gave Lynn a deep look.
"If you can't bring me something that satisfies me next time,"
"I will slice your soul into ten thousand pieces and feed it to curses."
"Remember that, you shark."
With that, the black tattoos on Sukuna's body began to fade.
Although he was annoyed.
He could feel the drug's effect wearing off. Yuji Itadori's consciousness, resilient as a weed, was regaining control of the body.
A few seconds later.
The murderous "King of Curses" was gone.
Replaced by a pink-haired boy scratching the back of his head with a blank look on his face.
"Huh?"
Yuji Itadori blinked, looking at the mess around him.
"Where's the Special Grade curse?"
"Why is it gone?"
Yuji was confused.
"I remember giving my body to Sukuna... then I felt like I took a nap..."
"Why do I have such a strong taste of mint in my mouth? Why is it so strong?"
At this moment, Lynn had his back to him.
He carefully took out a handkerchief and wrapped the withered finger layer by layer.
Then he solemnly placed it in the inner pocket of his vest.
Lynn glanced at the collapsing Domain around them.
With the Special Grade curse dead, this twisted space was about to vanish.
"Looks like I don't need to show you out."
"Wait!"
Yuji shouted.
"Who are you? That finger... are you going to sell it?"
As a Jujutsu Sorcerer, he couldn't just watch a Special Grade Cursed Object fall into the hands of an unidentified person.
"Who I am isn't important."
Lynn adjusted his slightly disheveled collar.
His figure began to turn translucent.
That was the sign that the card's effect was ending.
"As for this finger..."
Lynn pushed up his glasses.
Revealing his signature, inscrutable smile.
"It's just my first pot of gold."
Lynn's figure completely vanished into the air.
As if he had never been there.
...
In the woods outside the detention center.
The air distorted.
Lynn stumbled out of the void, grabbing a tree trunk and dry heaving.
"Ugh..."
During that minute just now, although he looked calm on the surface.
He had been overdrafting his mental energy to maintain his "mysterious expert" persona.
Facing Sukuna's killing intent, even for a few seconds, was enough to make an ordinary person have a mental breakdown.
Let alone having to negotiate and spin tales under that kind of pressure.
"Too intense..."
"This business is literally dancing on the edge of a blade."
Lynn wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth.
With trembling hands, he pulled out the wrapped finger from his chest pocket.
Looking at the dazzling [50,070 Points] on the system interface.
A sickly flush of excitement gradually appeared on his pale face.
"But the return... is so sweet."
With these fifty thousand points, he had completely broken free from the poverty of the newbie phase.
He could even start setting up a bigger game.
"Next up..."
Lynn looked toward the detention center entrance.
There, several black sedans were pulling up.
A white-haired man, one meter ninety tall and wearing a black blindfold, stepped out.
Carrying a bag of Kikufuku in his hand.
Satoru Gojo.
The Strongest in the Jujutsu world.
Lynn took a deep breath and tucked the finger away securely.
He stood up straight.
"Since I've already done business with the 'King of Curses'."
"Then having a little chat about a trade with the 'Strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer' isn't too much to ask, is it?"
He straightened his suit and began walking toward the Strongest.